harbour
Americannoun
noun
-
a sheltered port
-
a place of refuge or safety
verb
-
(tr) to give shelter to
to harbour a criminal
-
(tr) to maintain secretly
to harbour a grudge
-
to shelter (a vessel) in a harbour or (of a vessel) to seek shelter
Spelling
See -or 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of harbour
Old English herebeorg, from here troop, army + beorg shelter; related to Old High German heriberga hostelry, Old Norse herbergi
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Neither grey nor harbour seals are protected from intentional or reckless disturbance under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Marmalade was considered rare because there are only 500 harbour seals living in the river, compared with about 3,000 of the more common grey seals.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Archaeologists have found pieces of Greek pottery, as well as rooms and large jars for storing goods from the harbour, discoveries that Karam said showed the ancient city's "lively commercial activity".
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
"We try to work together with the polluters, and slowly phase them out," says Oscar van Veen, director of innovation at the Port of Rotterdam, speaking on a small boat in the harbour.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Thus the coastguard on duty on the eastern side of the harbour, who at once ran down to the little pier, was the first to climb on board.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
